For me nothing beats a roast chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and a tossed salad.

When somebody asks me what I would like for my birthday dinner, I answer: roast chicken – every time.

I do enjoy oysters, lobster, steaks, sushi and a lot of other luxurious and special foods but give me the juicy bird with crispy skin sprinkled with herbs and I’m overjoyed.

This was a meal I grew up with and we used to share a small chicken for a family of 5. The bones would get picked clean every time.

Since this is a cheap and simple meal, I am surprised to find out how many top chefs and food celebrities hold it in such high regards. Julia Childs cooked it on her show, Anthony Bourdain writes about it in one cookbook, Thomas Keller writes about it in his books and so many others.

Here is my take on the simple but delicious roast chicken.

• You don’t need a huge bird, a 3-4 lb chicken will feed 4 comfortably with potatoes or rice and salad.
• Plan the meal and brine the chicken – you will need a day or two to brine and dry it but it is totally worth it.
• Weather you brine it or not, do dry it for a few hours in the fridge uncovered in the roasting pan. It will roast better and the skin will crisp up. Wet chicken=soggy skin.
• Don’t truss the chicken, a lot of chefs and cooks will tell you that you must but for a family meal you want the chicken cooked evenly. The densest part of the chicken is where the thigh meats the body and you want to make sure it is cooked through. With the legs unbound, the heat has more of a chance to get down there and fully cook through without overcooking the breast. If you truss the chicken it will take longer to cook at that bone joint, meanwhile the breast will overcook and dry out. I have always cooked chicken this way and recently read that Thomas Keller (one of the best chefs in the world with French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon and other restaurants) recommends cooking your chicken this way for the very reasons stated.
• Also, cook the bird breast up for crispy skin. Do not flip and turn the chicken, not only could you rip the bird apart as you do this but hot chicken and hot oven can lead to accidents. Ripped skin=dry bird.
• Temperature wise people cook chicken many different ways. Some prefer low heat and long roasting, others like it hot and quick. When we cook a chicken it’s usually at 425 F and it takes around 1 hour. Try the way that works for you – there are many tips and recipes online. Make a note for yourself how hot and how long, also give your bird a rating so you can make changes if needed or replicate it perfectly.
• Don’t overcook the chicken. Loose bone joints, clear juice and 160-165 temperature is a good aim. Reason to cook chicken to 165 is to kill possible salmonella bacteria. This is also accomplished by keeping the chicken at 145 degrees for 9 minutes or 160 for 2 minutes. Some chicken packaging recommends 185, this will give you a very dry chicken.
• Take your chicken out at 160-165 and let it rest and finish cooking on the counter for 15-30 minutes before carving it. Resting any meat allows the juices to go back out into the meat fibers. There won’t be a puddle of liquid and your bird will be juicy.
• When the bird is out and being carved, picking on the bones is more of a ritual than poor manners. It’s part of the feast. The best part of the chicken (that my wife always snags) is the “acorns” or “walnuts” from the back of the bird where the legs are attached to the body.
  There are 4 small pieces of meat on the bottom of the bird that cook in the chicken fat and come out like confit, absolutely delicious, silky and tender. Make sure to locate them next time you make a roast chicken.
• And finally, utilize it all: scoop off the chicken fat and use for schmaltz if making matzo balls or to make roux for thickening soups and stocks. The pan drippings are great for saucing the chicken with. Save the bones and cook them down for stock. If there is meat left – pick it now and use for soup, salad, sandwiches or chicken pot pie.
• A few tips to avoid mishaps: use a timer. I have burned more food that I was certain to remember. If roasting anything in a pyrex, glass or ceramic pan, be very careful where you place it in regards to temperature change. Fridge to hot oven, hot oven to fridge or pouring cold liquids into the hot pan as the chicken is roasting are all big NO NOs. I have researched this myself and you will be picking glass off the floor for weeks and no dinner for punishment. Always be careful with hot things from the oven and remember – all ovens, even brand new ones cook slightly different. If a recipe calls for 60 minutes, start checking at 45 but it may take 90 minutes.

Roasted Chicken

0 from 0 votes

Recipe by admin

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Calories

kcal

Total time

0

minutes

Roast chicken is the best comfort food as far as I am concerned and it’s reassuring that many of the top chefs in the world rate this quite simple meal as one of their top choices for dining on.

Ingredients

• 1 4-6 lb 1 Roasting chicken

• 4 Tbs 4 butter

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 salt* if you are using a brined chicken, cut the salt back

• 1/8 tsp 1/8 pepper

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 thyme
  

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 rosemary

• 1/2 tsp 1/2 sage

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp 1/4 onion powder

Directions

• Brine your chicken – if you can – that is if you are planning to make the chicken tomorrow or the next day after that, otherwise proceed with your chicken according to the recipe and try brining next time.
• If you start with a regular fresh chicken, open it up and wash it with cold running water in the sink. Pat it dry and place it in a roasting pan. Place the roasting pan in the refrigerator for 2-6 hours or overnight. This will allow the skin to dry and the chicken will roast nice and crispy.
• Preheat the oven to 425. Melt 2 Tbs butter and cut the other 2 Tbs in 4 pieces. Mix all your dry seasonings well.
  Push the 4 pieces of butter under the skin of the chicken on the breast sides (2 pcs on each breast). Brush the outside of the skin with the melted butter and sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken.
  Place the roasting pan with the chicken in the oven. Depending on the size of the chicken and the oven it will take around 60 minutes up to 90 minutes.
• Test the chicken with a thermometer. 160-165 at the thickest part is a good time to pull it from the oven and rest it 15-30 minutes, to allow it to finish cooking. A good way to check if a chicken is done by pulling up on one of the drumsticks. If it is loose and disjointed between the drumstick and thigh, the chicken is done, still holding firm – keep cooking.

Equipment

• roasting pan, cutting board, paring knife, measuring spoons, pastry brush